THE National Broadcasting Corporation will have exclusive radio and television rights to two Kumuls games in the country next month.The Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) announced the deal yesterday.The games are the Team Kumul Red-Team Kumul Gold on Sunday, September 22, at the Lloyd Robson Oval, in Port Moresby.The match will feature overseas and locally-based players in a trial for the Prime Minister’s XIII match and the World Cup squad.The second match, the Kumuls-Australian PM’s XIII will be a week later, on Sunday, September 29 at the Kalabond, in Kokopo.The match is ex­pected to see the strongest possible line-ups from both nations ahead of the announcement of the Kumuls World Cup squad.NBC chief executive officer and managing director Memafu Kapera, above, said the rights were a coup for the network. “This is an exciting time for rugby league in PNG and we want to be at the forefront of this revolution in the game,” Kapera said. “We have invested heavily in infrastructure to improve our broadcast and believe under the new board and management of the PNGRFL we have the beginnings of a fantastic ongoing partnership. “This is an important year being a World Cup year for Team Kumuls and we are looking forward to delivering a quality broadcast to the nation for fans who cannot attend either of the in-country matches.”PNGRFL interim chief executive officer Brad Tassell, right, said, “We are very happy with the deal and thank NBC Radio and Television for their support of the international programme. “This is a sign that the Team Kumul programme implemented by the PNGRFL has significantly lifted the profile of the national body and the value of the international programme to broadcasters and potential sponsors. “We are now looking for a naming rights sponsor for both matches and hope to secure this soon. “The new board and management have been extremely proactive and a lot has been achieved already in a short space of time. “We have been saying all along that this is a new PNGRFL, with a very bright future and we are dedicated to ensuring the game is managed and delivered professionally for fans across the country.“We understand that NBC are close to securing the rights to broadcast the upcoming Rugby League World Cup so this is the perfect start and lead in to that campaign for NBC.” The National